Via Room 26 Cabinet of Curiosities a blog that features new acquisitions, unique documents, and visual and textual curiosities from the collections of Yale's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. I highly recommend.
So many things offend in this 1866 tobacco label: the native American genuflecting to an exalted Christopher Columbus, a dog, three monkeys, and a rabbit smoking tobacco in a tree branch, "pride" in one of the deadliest crops known to man. But, it is reaffirming that attitudes and policies can change. And they do. It just may take 100 years.
Have a nice day off.
Via the Library of Congress.
Lucian Freud, who died at age 88 in July, will have a retrospective envisioned as a life in painting at London's National Portrait Gallery in 2012. The exhibition will span his 70-year career and include this recently revealed final portrait, Portrait of the Hound, of his assistant David Dawson with his Whippet Eli.
Via The Guardian.
Holland Carter writes effusively about Willem de Kooning's long overdue retrospective at MoMA in The New York Times. And MoMA has some fascinating interactive timelines about his work and insights about his methods and materials. And, yes, de Kooning helped define abstract expressionism, but he was a dog artist too.
Prints of this Brooklyn scene in Prospect Park are available at Jen Bekman 20×200.
Happy March 1. In like a lion, like the one I saw in my backyard yesterday.
Via Wartski, antique dealers specializing in the work of Carl Fabergé, Russian Works of Art, Fine Jewelery and Silver:
A jewelled and enamelled hardstone study of a French bulldog by Carl Fabergé
naturalistically carved from petrified wood in a seated position, with the oversized head and ears
that characterise the breed, wearing a yellow gold collar enamelled opaque black and white,
fastened by a rose diamond set buckle, each of the belt holes set with rose diamonds, mounted
with a ring for a lead to the rear and suspending a gold bell,
its eyes set with two large old brilliant cut diamonds.
Signed ‘C. Fabergé’ in Latin characters to the underside
and engraved ‘C. Fabergé’ in Cyrillic to loop.
St. Petersburg, circa 1916,
inventory number: 23914.
9cm tall
Contact Wartski for purchase price.
Hat tip to Clair Hartmann for sending me this link. Clair has a lovely 2011 dog painting calendar and a new book in the works. Stop by her website to see what she's up to.
The 1966 Defense Department annotation reads:
1st Marine Aircraft Wing (1st MAW). Photographer: Sergeant (Sgt.) Hathaway. CHRISTMAS VIGIL–A Marine sentry, Lance Corporal Glenn L. Mitchell of Washington, D. C., and his dog, "Chief," patrol a lonely perimeter near Marine Aircraft Group-36 (MAG-36) in Vietnam and pause before a cross near the group chapel. The Marine's thoughts reflect the hopes of servicemen around the world the Christmas season, "…peace, on earth, good will to men."
Is it futile to wish for peace each year? I hope not.
Via footnote.com.
Arizona photographer Jill Flynn is offering a 15% discount for a photo shoot with your dog for Dog Art Today readers. Simply mention the code DogArt 2011, and reserve your session before February 2011. Jill shoots on location in the metro Phoenix area. I am a big fan of her work and think a session with her would be a beautiful gift for the dog lover in your life. Visit her website Jill Flynn Photography and click on “Info” for pricing details.
Thank you, sweet boy, for making my life magical. And thank you, Sheila, for capturing that magic with your camera. Happy Birthday, Darby!
This last shot made me cry I love it so much.
See more of my sister Sheila Cameron's work at her blog Watching the Paint Dry: 365 Days of Motherhood, Art, and Cliches.
